Associated Students Office of the President and Academic Affairs Board will host a Textbook Marketplace this afternoon in Storke Plaza from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., in which students can buy and sell their used textbooks in order to circumvent low buyback offers and high prices.

The event will be divided into sections for each department and the direct trade will allow students to regulate the prices of their books rather than accept prices set by buyback companies or bookstores.

Adeel Lakhani, a third-year chemistry and biopsychology major and the Commissioner of Academic Affairs in the Associated Students Office of the President, said the organization was inspired to host the event again after the success of last quarter’s marketplace.

“We started this last quarter, but it actually used to be a common occurrence where students would just do this as part of the culture,” Lakhani said. “And we want to get that started again.”

Last quarter’s marketplace offered students upwards of 10 times more money than corporate buyback companies would for used textbooks, according to Armen.

“Last quarter was a great success, it was incredible to see students get $50 or $80 for a book they would get only $5 for at the corporate buy back tents, which really rip students off,” Armen said. “Tuition and book prices are outrageously expensive here — this is what student power looks like, not only advocacy but solutions — so we are hitting the problem on all fronts. We hope to truly institutionalize this so it happens every quarter and expect it to grow and grow.”

Organizers will be holding students’ books for them, and will be responsible for overseeing the exchanges up to the close of the market. Student book-sellers will have to leave a slip of paper identifying which books belong to them, Lakhani said.

According to Lakhani, students do not have to be present for the whole event in order to take advantage of the opportunity to buy and sell books.

“If you don’t want to stick around for too long and you’re a seller, you can leave your contact info so people can contact you,” Lakhani said. “And if you’re a buyer you can leave a wish list so if a seller comes back later he or she can contact you then.”

A.S. Office of the President is hoping to encourage trade between students, as this event will reduce the amount of money that students pay for textbooks. Lakhani said that A.S. will not be dealing with students’ money whatsoever since A.S. is simply putting on the event to provide a safe environment for students to exchange textbooks with each other.

“It’s really just a common time and place for students to do this safely. We are not handling any money or even doing any trades for anybody. They’re dealing directly with other students,” said Lakhani.

Arda Jooharian contributed to this article.

A version of this article appeared on page 6 of April 3rd, 2013’s print edition of the Nexus